The Senior Times

By Charlotte Richardson

Well it's beginning to feel a lot like springtime, everywhere you look! And that's a good thing.

The Jamestown Senior Citizen's Association has put together a small, but helpful scholarship, in memory of the seniors who have passed on. It is in the amount of $500 and is for graduating high school seniors who live in Jamestown and those who have been out of school for a while and would like to update their education to get back into the workforce. Applications are available at the Senior Center, and the focus of the studies should be related to the medical field.

The Jamestown Medical Fund is taking part in the seventh annual Newport Hospital Health Fair to be held on Saturday, April 14, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Guest speaker, Michael Samuelson, president of the Health and Wellness Institute, will speak on "Health and Wellness in Newport County."

The Jamestown Medical Fund will provide free transportation to and from the event. The bus will leave the PAC Club on Narragansett Avenue at 8:30 a.m. and again at 9:30 a.m. If you are unable to get to the PAC Club, contact Lu- Ann at 423-0550 to be picked up at your home. You will also be provided transportation back to your home when the bus arrives back at the PAC Club after the event.

There is also information from the USDA available at the Senior Center on West Street, regarding Home Improvement and Repair Loans and grants (Section 504). Rural Housing Repair and Rehabilitation Loans and Grants are funded directly by the federal government. These loans and grants are available to assist people who live in rural communities with a population of 20,000 or less. The purpose of the Very Low Income Housing repair program provides loans and grants to very low-income homeowners to repair, improve or modernize and dwellings or to remove health and safety hazards. For more information, contact USDA Rural Development, 69 Quaker Lane, Suite 44, Warwick, RI 02886, call 826-0842 or visit the web site at www.rurdev. usda.gov/ma. We have a few flyers available at the Senior Center, or by calling Charlotte at 423-1026. According to the information given us, Jamestown is an eligible town in Rhode Island. A 504 Loan can be approved for up to $20,000 at a 1-percent interest rate, which is payable over 20 years, according to the pamphlet information.

It won't be long now before we can get back outdoors and enjoy some of this great spring weather. The gardens are beginning to show welcome signs of life with crocuses popping up all over the place and even some daffodils in bloom. It is a glorious time of the year and so very welcome. If you're able, it's a great time to get out a take a look around.